Improvement in the construction of barrels for beer



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MATTHEW HAWE, 0F ALBAY, NEW YORK.

'Letters Patent No. 111,058, dated 'January 17, 1871.

` iMeRovEMEN'r IN THE coNsrRucTloN.` oF BARRELs Fon BEER,&.

The Schedule referred to'V in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

.'l'o all whom t mcy-concern Figure 2 represents a 'sectional view of a section of a barrel, with a head taken in va direction of the grain of the wood, illustrating another part of my invention. Figure 3 represents a cross-sectional view through the head of a hogshead, illustrating the invent-ion.v

My invention relates to the heads of half-barrels, barrels, hogsheads, and like vessels, used for holding ale, beer, and similar fermenting liquids, which are apt to `strain the vessels holding them, and sometimes to lsuch an extent as to burst out the heads of thin vessels and be lost; and partly consists in constructing the heads of an odd number of pieces, (as threeor live, according to the size ofthe vessels to be constructed,) each piece having its edge beveled insuch a manner that when all are joined and placed in their respective ends of their vessels, they will arch inward; the object of this part of my invention being to rendereach piece forming the `head capable of acting under a pressure, the same as the several sections of an arch, which will more eiectually resist the tendency of bursting out theA headV of a barrel or` hogshead when the liquid contained therein ferments.

Another part of Iny invention .consists inmaking the inner bevel of the barrel withsuch a bevel as will cause the edge of the head at the ends of the pieces forming the san1e,aud also the. sides, to rest on the howel cut in the stave; the object of this part of my invention being to strengthenthe heads, so that when the said heads have exerted on them a pressure from the outside, they will be capable of more e'ectually resisting the said pressure, and prevent all splitting up of the wood at the ends of thesaid pieces or elsewhere on the edge. l

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to describe it with refference tothe drawing and the letters of reference.

marked thereon, the same letters indicating like parts.

In the drawing- A represents the staves of a barrel. B is the head. C C are the usual hoops. The head B of the .vessel I make of anodd number of pieces of wood, consisting, in haltlbarrels and barrels, ot three pieces, the center-piece a and the cants b b and in hogsheads I use five pieces, viz., the center-piece ,and the cants b b, and the intermediate pieces c c,ig. 5. 'In the usual construction of the `heads B, the number of pieces to form the same is not considered of any material importance, so long as a suiiiciency of width of material is secured..

Pieces a, b', and c I slightly bevel, as shown in iigs.l 1 and 3, so that when the said 'pieces'are joined to# gether the head will be arched inward as shown, and each piece'of the head will form a section of an arch with its more extensive surface-linewbhin the barrel,

.which will throw the chord of'th'e arch thus formed` outside the vessel, as shown by dotted linesd in ligs.

l and 3.

' The inner angle line :cof the beveled edge of the head'B I forni obtuse, with the outer angle line y of the same as shown. When thus formed, the edges ot' the head B .will bear on 'a portion of the howelS as well as the usual croze V cut in stares, and in such a manner. that when the ends of the pieces a, l, and c', will have a more extensive bearing surface inside, as shown in fig. 2, and contrasted with the beveled edge cut on the heads of barrels and the like Ias they are now usually constructed for beer, alc,- and 'similar y liquids, as shown by dotted lines z z z in iig. 2.

By forming the said angle linex of the beveled edg of the head 1?V in the manner above described, the.-

howel S cnt on the inside, past the croze, receives and bears against the said beveled surface line x, which, at the ends of the pieces c, t, and c, is more extensive,4

andV insures the head from being broken in, or the ends ot' the said pieces from being split up, as is often the case with the heads as now constructed. j

' By my invention, the heads of barrels or hogsheads, which are now the weakest part of the same, can be made as strong as the other parts, and will as eiectually resist the excessive pressure of any fermented liquids placed within, and willalso ettectnallyprevcnt the heads from being split up at thc ends ot'vtheir pieces. Forl it is readily seen that the arching or crowning of the heads in one direction by means lof the beveled pieces c, l), and c, will cause the said arch to act against all inside pressure and resist the same`- for the purpose set fort-h. Witnesses:

1. In barrels and similar vessels for holding beer, line x will bear against a. portion of' the bowel S, as nie,'and othe'l fermentatious liquids, constructing the also the Croze V, substantially as heads B arching or crowning inward by means of the set forth. n bevel-pieces a and b, or a., b, and o, substantially as and MATTHEW HAWE.

2. Making the lbeveled line x of the upper edge vof ALEX. SELKIRK, the head B in such a. manner that the said beveled CEAS. SELKIRK;

:uid for the purpose 

